Do you enjoy camping but don't want to rough it? Glamping is a great option. Camping has always been a favorite form of travel for many, but Osage, IA glamping is a new and unique way to do it. These scenic and easy to access Iowa glamping locations are perfect for any adventurer.
Clear Lake State Park offers diverse activities on one of Iowa’s most popular lakes. The 3,000-acre lake is a draw for boating, fishing and windsurfing. The park features 50 acres of open spaces and mature oak trees along with a highly popular campground. Several acres of picnic grounds with tables and grilles are available for day-use. The nearby town of Clear Lake is a summer tourist destination with numerous stores and restaurants. Camp in one of the most popular campgrounds in Iowa’s state park system. The campground contains two modern restrooms, shower facilities and two dump stations. A quarter of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and advanced reservations can be made online through the online reservation system for Clear Lake State Park.
$35 / night
$16 - $22 / night
Legend
Clear Lake is a popular place to spend time in North Central Iowa. McIntosh Woods State Park is right on the lake front. The campground is not on the lake, but it has some nice shade with open space.
It also has Yurts to rent as well. There is a large station for cleaning fish and a huge picnic area with wide open space and a nice playground. There is a beach for swimming but there is no lifeguard on duty. There is also a boat ramp and a few docks for launching.
This is a great campground if you like to boat or fish. Before you get in the water make sure you check with the locals to make sure there is no harmful algae. This is a great place to spend the weekend.
TravelerBeautiful shaded campground near the lake, not far from town if you forgot something. We stayed in one of the two yurts- bunk bed plus a futon and table/chairs inside. Picnic table and grill outside. Walk to small town/restaurants.Clean bathroom facilities in area. Short hikes. Fishing nearby.
Scout
This campground has it all. Easy access for kayaking and tubing on the Upper Iowa River.
GuideWe visit on memorial day weekend with a large group. Camp right along side the Upper Iowa River....80 foot limestone bluffs! Campground shuttles and rents canoes/kayaks.
ScoutI have been visiting Chimney Rock Camp and Canoe for 20 years. Every time I visit I have a wonderful time enjoying the scenic Upper Iowa River. This part of Iowa is a treasure. Deb and her crew are always helpful and accommodating. They run a great canoe/kayak/tube rental with shuttle service. This is a private campground. I appreciate the laid back vibe. We have been here during the week and have had the place pretty much to ourselves. The weekends are a bit more lively, but with friendly folks. Some of my favorite memories are on the shuttle bus up to the drop in and laughing with fellow campers/ river floaters. We love Chimney Rock and pray this little slice of heaven is available for us to enjoy for years to come. We prefer to stay down by the river sans electricity. We have done this for years in a tent and now in our hybrid camper. There are cabins, electric sites, showers and a dump station.
Traveler
You will love this park. There are about 20 self-serve sites with electric and water. Self serve firewood. Dump station and dumpsters near the exit. Clean bathrooms and showers. Lots of space at each campsite. Good hiking and horse trails. Sitting right on the Cedar River, it’s a great location to kayak and tube. Cheap at $20 a night. We showed up at 8:00 on a Fryevening and spots were available!
TravelerNice county park along the Cedar river. Boating and fishing was fun. Had a small swimming beach, nice bathrooms and showers dump station. Saw many people swimming off their boat/pontoons as the bottom is sandy and the current is very very slow. PS Don't try to tube down the river at the end of July-- too slow. It had a nice boat ramp with 3 docks and has nice big campsites. The only down side was the noise from the traffic going over the bridge nearby. There is also a nice walking trail a couple miles away on the river by Mitchell that we enjoyed.
Scout
40 site Totally renovated 2 years ago nestled along the little Cedar river above the dam. New Shower house/bathrooms. Natural themed kids play area including a huge tree house. City water and sewer with 50 and 30 amp to each site. Man made swimming pond with a lighted waterfall. Volleyball and walking trails with primitive camping across the road. Cabin with air conditioning and fully furnished further up the river on 200 acres of county land. Fishing above and below the dam. Picnic table and fire ring at every site.
GuideBeautiful large sites along the river so you can fish as well as has a pond that you can swim in with three beach entry areas. Large bath house with restrooms and showers and a little free library inside. Very long parking pads- big rig friendly and very roomy sites. Nice walking trails on the east and south side of the park. Very creative natural play park for children to play on. Full hook up sites with a very reasonable nightly rate. It appeared that some of the campsites were seasonal but couldn’t confirm that.
Traveler
Camper spots were huge with plenty of space between sites. Fire ring was on a cement slab. Bathrooms were clean. Good cell phone signal. Small lake for fishing and swimming working walking distance
TravelerWe camped with family in the group circle site. The circle group site has a nice big area for the kids to play. The playground and lake was also fun for the kids too.
TravelerExceptionally clean. New basthroom/ shoer house. Water electric at each site. Dump station on site. Nice swimming beach and many fishing jetties.
Guide
We spent 4 days here and the park is a busy place! Very clean!!!!! Dump station was easy access! We were right by the shower houses. Check in and out was simple. We made our reservations online. The park had paved roads, great for bike riding, playground was a hit! The sunset was gorgeous in the evenings at the beach! We will be back!
ScoutOverall nice place to stay. We stay each year with family so there are about 4 of our campers all there together.distance between sites can be wide or narrow depending on which site you’re on.
Pros: Clean/well maintained, easy short path through the trees to get to the beach, sturdy picnic tables all around, long “driveway” for campsite
Cons: pads are gravel and not very level, pads are very narrow, beyond the trees on one side of the campground is a major road so you’ll hear cars passing by, not a lot of restroom/bathhouses
ScoutWe love coming to Clear Lake! The campgrounds are always very well kept, bathrooms very clean! Easy access to the lake, and the town has so much to do during the summer months!
GuideThis is our second time camping at the Clear Lake State Park. The park is clean, the shower house is nice. It’s hard to control the temperature in the showers, too hot for little kids to stand directly in the water. The playground was fun for the kids, nice beach access! Limited full hook up sites. I wish there were more full hook ups that you could reserve. Paved roads are great for bike riding. Great shaded spots. DNR cruises the park daily which is nice to see.
ScoutClear lake state park is a nice campground. It does get very busy during peak season and traffic is continuous. It is clean and close to the beach. Down town and other shopping is a short drive away. Lots of families camp here. Spots are nice.
GuideThere are only 6 full hook up sites and the care taker made sure we got one. The rest of the sites are beautiful with electric hook up. Nice clean bathroom and hot shower!
GuideThis is a state campground. So as most will know the sites could be better maintained. The bathrooms are updated and nice. When there is heavy rain you will however have your own pond at most sites. I guess you pay for what you get. I love this campground because they are large spots. Close to the beach and fishing is awesome. A big campground but reserve early!
GuideGreat campground. Family and friends get together a must here. Close to the beach, town and the lake has great fish. Reserve early!
GuideLoved this state park. Sites not too level, but spacious. Camped in mid April and park was not very busy which was nice. Full hook up sites and W/E only sites. Close to town and lots to do.
TravelerI love this campground! Clean, well maintained, and the hosts are very friendly. Trail to the beach is clear, the playground has nice, safe equipment for the little kids. Sad that there were so many back up sites over the holiday weekend, would have liked to have been able to camp here. It being full more than a week before the holiday, shows how great it is.
GuideNice campground with grassy pull thru sites. But very close together. If full, you would have no privacy. Fortunately, it was 1/4 full, so no problem. Bathrooms clean, nice warm showers! Nice beach, lots to do. Would be a fun place if you don’t mind camping next to neighbors!
LegendWe tend to stay at campgrounds during the off or shoulder season for a quieter experience so it was with some apprehension that we reserved this campground for a summer weekend so that we could meet friends for Paddlefest. We were happy to discover that despite being a full campground, it was quiet at almost all hours of the day and night. It was, however, an entirely different story on the lake itself, where boats gathered all day to party!
There is little separation between the sites but there are trees located throughout, some of which provide shade to the site. The camper pads were a mix of dirt and gravel and mostly level. We were lucky to snag Site 34 (reserved about three months in advance) – it was on the end, making it a much larger site than the interior sites (all end sites in our section were larger) and we had plenty of shade trees, a welcome relief on a very hot weekend.
The paved roads leading to the sites are very narrow and would appear to be one-way but are not designated as such, resulting in some confusion. The site numbers are only listed on one side, even though most of the sites appeared to be pull-through.
The restrooms and showers were clean and had soap and (dated) air dryers.
Overall, we had a very pleasant two-night stay even though we were prepared for a different experience.
Guide
Nice campground out in the woods. Not many sites but they are very roomy. Water and electric hookup only. They offer a dump station as well. There is only one road through the grounds so when leaving it can get backed up at the dump station. Small playground and bath/shower house in the center of the grounds. Seemed a little costly for the amenities offered. The owners are very interested in everything at the campground from guests to any traffic in or out. Seemed almost overbearing.
GuideClean and well maintained campground about a quarter mile past owner’s farm buildings. Signs for registration are easy to follow, stop at the Office (garage) to check in. Cash or check only, no cards. Campground was very nice with mature trees. Bathroom and shower available. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. Some sites suitable for hammock camping. If you need a level site for a rooftop tent be sure to ask, my site was easily switched after I did. Overall very nice experience.
ScoutMy partner and I were on our way out West and we stopped here for a night. The campground was extremely clean and well maintained. This sites are spread out enough that you have a little privacy and each site has a fire pit and picnic table. This area is actually part of the owners farm.
Bonus, it’s dog friendly. There is a small but we’ll maintained playground and horseshoes.
Note: it is cash or check only so make sure you have money to pay (we stopped at a nearby gas station to use an ATM). They do sell firewood and ice if you need it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Osage, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Osage, IA is White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park with a 4.6-star rating from 21 reviews.
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